Field of the Invention
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a power generation control method; and, particularly, to a method of intelligently controlling power generation based on an efficiency map, configured for further improving battery charge and discharge performance and fuel efficiency by correcting efficiency variations in alternators which are different for each manufacturer, model, and operation temperature, and a vehicle using the same.
Description of Related Art
In general, electric power for a vehicle is generated by an alternator and the power generation control of the alternator is performed based on voltage change speed control. Battery charge and discharge performance and fuel efficiency are improved by controlling the power generation of the alternator.
By way of example, the power generation control of the alternator is performed by determining the driving torque map of the alternator and controlling voltage change speed based on the driving torque map when the voltage of the alternator is changed.
Therefore, the power generation control of the alternator obtains battery charge and discharge performance by adjusting an output current according to the State of Charge (SOC) of a battery to prevent the start of an engine from malfunctioning due to the deterioration of the SOC of the battery. In addition, the power generation control of the alternator contributes to an improvement in fuel efficiency in such a way to mainly use battery power in a fuel consumption section other than a deceleration section and increase a power generation load to increase an amount of electric power for charging the battery in the deceleration section.
However, the alternator, which is the target to be controlled in the power generation control method, may have different driving efficiencies for each manufacturer, model, and operation temperature. For the present reason, since the same driving torque map is used based on a single control factor including voltage change even though alternators have different driving torque maps, the power generation control method may not reflect a difference in efficiency of the alternator.
Hence, in the power generation control method, the alternator may not be efficiently used under an optimal condition to improve battery charge and discharge performance and fuel efficiency.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.